Monday, 16 May 2016

Review: Para Tank by Vaping Outlaws

A while ago I was asked by the guys at UKEcigstore if I wanted to try out the upcoming Para Tank by Vaping Outlaws. This is a "coil-less" tank system, quite different from what we've been used to for a while now and looked similar to the Altus tank that claims to be the worlds first "coil-less" tank. The first version I got was just for testing and giving some feedback, and honestly... I was not happy with it at all. There were several issues... leaking, low capacity, very long ramp-up time, no top filling ... and the ceramic heating plate died on me when I was going to re-wick. I bet I wasn't the only tester that sent them feedback on this. So the question is: Has Vaping Outlaws managed to fix these problems?

In the box

The box I received didn't have the final content, some bits were missing since it wasn't released yet, but according to the website this is what it's supposed to be in the final box:

The Para Tank

Replacement Glass

Some cotton

User manual

Specifications

Razor Chip Technology (more on this further down)

Top Filling

4.5ml Juice Capacity

Optional 0.4ohm and 0.6ohm Chips (not tested in this review)

Laser Engraving

Pyrex Glass Tank

Dimensions: Height 48mm, Diameter 22mm, Height with drip tip 56mm

Look and feel

The tank look pretty good in my opinion. The simple design, with the logo discreetly laser engraved on the top cap work really well. Vaping Outlaws have used black and yellow in all their designs so choosing a yellow o-ring is of course the right choice. One of the things that wasn't that good on the first device was the air-control ring that was either to tight or to loose (the design on the bottom section was a bit different on that one)... build quality wasn't that good in other words. On this new version, however, the ring is just tight enough and easy to adjust. In other words, this new device feels solid and well built.

In use

The so called Razor Chip Technology is something quite different from what we've been used to for quite a while now. Instead of a coil heating the liquid, either in pre-built replaceable heads or built by the user, we here have a chip heating the juice. The wick is just a patch of cotton folded around the chip. When that's done the chip (with the cotton folded around it) is pushed into the chimney-piece (or whatever you want to call it) so the cotton sticks out a bit through the slits on both sides. Then the bottom ring is screwed on to complete the center piece which is then screwed into the bottom piece.

Again, one of the biggest problems with the prototype unit I received first was that the process of re-wicking wasn't good. This has been redesigned and now re-wicking is actually quite simple and very quick. All you need to do is take it apart, fold your new cotton patch around the chip and put it all together. Pretty hassle free if you ask me and quicker than re-wicking your normal coil based atomizers, once you figure out the right dimensions for the patch. First time I tried it I cut a square patch with the length or the sides around 2 mm more than the diameter of the center piece, so it would stick out around 1mm on each side. But I think I did not use enough cotton, the patch was to thin, so it did not wick fast enough and I got dry hits from hell. The next try I used cotton from UD, just cutting the same dimensions from a "sheet", and that seems to be just about the right thickness. No dry-hits, even on 100W, unless I'm really chain vaping this thing. Seems to wick well enough even if the tank is nearly empty, which also was a problem with the prototype. As I said there were no cotton included in my sample box, but it is on the content list for the final version, so you will probably get some pre-cut patches that will give you an idea on how to make your own as well. This redesign is no less than a great success in my opinion.

Another thing that's changed is that the tank now has top filling. You just unscrew the top cap and fill. The o-ring at the bottom is the only thing holding the glass in place when you do this, but it seems to be tight enough and I've had no problems. Top-filling means you can fill the tank all the way to the top, which means a substantial increase in juice capacity.

As for leaking issues... there are none any more. At least I haven't had any since I got the wicking right.

Performance

The flavour of this tank is really nice. That was actually also one of the few things I was happy with on the prototype. The ramp up time on the prototype was just horrible, but the final version is a lot quicker, so they have done some adjustments. It still requires a bit of time when it's cold, and to get a flavour and vapor production I'm happy with, this tank requires quite a lot of power. I guess some people would be happy with this one on 40W, but I'd say you need at least 50, maybe 60. I'm vaping it at 75W and pretty happy with that, but I've also tried it at 110W and it works great there as well.

As you see on the specification list, you will be able to get 0.4 and 0.6 Ohm razor chips. The one in my device is around 0.5 Ohms. This will affect the operating power ranges and performance. I'd like to get my hands on those optional chips and try them out once they're available.

Vapor production on this tank I'd say is ... well not bad. It's not producing the biggest clouds, but not the smallest either. It's the clean, crisp flavour that is the main advantage of this tank, cause it is indeed very good.

Pros and cons
+ Great flavour
+ Easy to re-fill
+ Easy to re-wick
+ Easy to clean
- Needs quite a lot of power (on the 0.5 Ohm chip)

Conclusion

I have to admit, after trying the prototype, I was very sceptical to this tank. The prototype had quite a few issues... actually it was kind of shit and I would never have recommended it. The final version on the other hand, I have no problems recommending. I haven't really had it long enough to be able to say how long a razor chip would last, but it is supposed to last for a very long time so even if the tank itself is kind of expensive (£79.99 at UKEcigstore), it is a very economical choice since cotton is the only thing you need to replace.

I'm impressed and happy that Vaping Outlaws have fixed most of the issues I complained about in the prototype. I told them that I thought this razor chip technology was an exciting idea, but the implementation was poor. On the final version they've got the implementation right as well. There are still areas of improvement, like ramp-up time and more resistance options, so now I'm looking forward to seeing more tanks with this kind of heating elements. To answer the question I asked in the introduction: Yes, Vaping Outlaws did indeed fix the problems, and has come up with a great tank that is definitely worth trying out.

Big thanks to UKEcigstore for sending me the Para Tank for this review.

All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product.

The juice was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.

This review contains affiliate links.

A while ago I was asked by the guys at UKEcigstore if I wanted to try out the upcoming Para Tank by Vaping Outlaws. This is a "coil-less" tank system, quite different from what we've been used to for a while now and looked similar to the Altus tank that claims to be the worlds first "coil-less" tank. The first version I got was just for testing and giving some feedback, and honestly... I was not happy with it at all. There were several issues... leaking, low capacity, very long ramp-up time, no top filling ... and the ceramic heating plate died on me when I was going to re-wick. I bet I wasn't the only tester that sent them feedback on this. So the question is: Has Vaping Outlaws managed to fix these problems?

In the box

The box I received didn't have the final content, some bits were missing since it wasn't released yet, but according to the website this is what it's supposed to be in the final box:

The Para Tank

Replacement Glass

Some cotton

User manual

Specifications

Razor Chip Technology (more on this further down)

Top Filling

4.5ml Juice Capacity

Optional 0.4ohm and 0.6ohm Chips (not tested in this review)

Laser Engraving

Pyrex Glass Tank

Dimensions: Height 48mm, Diameter 22mm, Height with drip tip 56mm

Look and feel

The tank look pretty good in my opinion. The simple design, with the logo discreetly laser engraved on the top cap work really well. Vaping Outlaws have used black and yellow in all their designs so choosing a yellow o-ring is of course the right choice. One of the things that wasn't that good on the first device was the air-control ring that was either to tight or to loose (the design on the bottom section was a bit different on that one)... build quality wasn't that good in other words. On this new version, however, the ring is just tight enough and easy to adjust. In other words, this new device feels solid and well built.

In use

The so called Razor Chip Technology is something quite different from what we've been used to for quite a while now. Instead of a coil heating the liquid, either in pre-built replaceable heads or built by the user, we here have a chip heating the juice. The wick is just a patch of cotton folded around the chip. When that's done the chip (with the cotton folded around it) is pushed into the chimney-piece (or whatever you want to call it) so the cotton sticks out a bit through the slits on both sides. Then the bottom ring is screwed on to complete the center piece which is then screwed into the bottom piece.

Again, one of the biggest problems with the prototype unit I received first was that the process of re-wicking wasn't good. This has been redesigned and now re-wicking is actually quite simple and very quick. All you need to do is take it apart, fold your new cotton patch around the chip and put it all together. Pretty hassle free if you ask me and quicker than re-wicking your normal coil based atomizers, once you figure out the right dimensions for the patch. First time I tried it I cut a square patch with the length or the sides around 2 mm more than the diameter of the center piece, so it would stick out around 1mm on each side. But I think I did not use enough cotton, the patch was to thin, so it did not wick fast enough and I got dry hits from hell. The next try I used cotton from UD, just cutting the same dimensions from a "sheet", and that seems to be just about the right thickness. No dry-hits, even on 100W, unless I'm really chain vaping this thing. Seems to wick well enough even if the tank is nearly empty, which also was a problem with the prototype. As I said there were no cotton included in my sample box, but it is on the content list for the final version, so you will probably get some pre-cut patches that will give you an idea on how to make your own as well. This redesign is no less than a great success in my opinion.

Another thing that's changed is that the tank now has top filling. You just unscrew the top cap and fill. The o-ring at the bottom is the only thing holding the glass in place when you do this, but it seems to be tight enough and I've had no problems. Top-filling means you can fill the tank all the way to the top, which means a substantial increase in juice capacity.

As for leaking issues... there are none any more. At least I haven't had any since I got the wicking right.

Performance

The flavour of this tank is really nice. That was actually also one of the few things I was happy with on the prototype. The ramp up time on the prototype was just horrible, but the final version is a lot quicker, so they have done some adjustments. It still requires a bit of time when it's cold, and to get a flavour and vapor production I'm happy with, this tank requires quite a lot of power. I guess some people would be happy with this one on 40W, but I'd say you need at least 50, maybe 60. I'm vaping it at 75W and pretty happy with that, but I've also tried it at 110W and it works great there as well.

As you see on the specification list, you will be able to get 0.4 and 0.6 Ohm razor chips. The one in my device is around 0.5 Ohms. This will affect the operating power ranges and performance. I'd like to get my hands on those optional chips and try them out once they're available.

Vapor production on this tank I'd say is ... well not bad. It's not producing the biggest clouds, but not the smallest either. It's the clean, crisp flavour that is the main advantage of this tank, cause it is indeed very good.

Pros and cons
+ Great flavour
+ Easy to re-fill
+ Easy to re-wick
+ Easy to clean
- Needs quite a lot of power (on the 0.5 Ohm chip)

Conclusion

I have to admit, after trying the prototype, I was very sceptical to this tank. The prototype had quite a few issues... actually it was kind of shit and I would never have recommended it. The final version on the other hand, I have no problems recommending. I haven't really had it long enough to be able to say how long a razor chip would last, but it is supposed to last for a very long time so even if the tank itself is kind of expensive (£79.99 at UKEcigstore), it is a very economical choice since cotton is the only thing you need to replace.

I'm impressed and happy that Vaping Outlaws have fixed most of the issues I complained about in the prototype. I told them that I thought this razor chip technology was an exciting idea, but the implementation was poor. On the final version they've got the implementation right as well. There are still areas of improvement, like ramp-up time and more resistance options, so now I'm looking forward to seeing more tanks with this kind of heating elements. To answer the question I asked in the introduction: Yes, Vaping Outlaws did indeed fix the problems, and has come up with a great tank that is definitely worth trying out.

Big thanks to UKEcigstore for sending me the Para Tank for this review.

All my reviews are my honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product.

The juice was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.

That's very strange, nothing like my experience at all. I've just had a look at my chip and it pretty much looks the same as when I got it. Now I haven't really been running this in temp-control though but as I said in the review, with this updated version, once I put the right amount of cotton in there I've had no wicking issues, even on 100 watts (I find you need at least 50W or the ramp-up time will be awfully long). To me it looks like a wicking issue and you might need to put less cotton in there when vaping 100% VG juice. Or it might even be a faulty device. I'd contact Vaping Outlaws and show them a picture of your chip and see what they have to say about it.

Have you tried putting more cotton in there? I tried with to little at first, about the same square size as you but too thin I guess. I could hear that it was died out and struggled to keep up. Then I used the full thickness of a sheet of the UD cotton. That seems to be about perfect :)

Have you tried putting more cotton in there? I tried with to little at first, about the same square size as you but too thin I guess. I could hear that it was died out and struggled to keep up. Then I used the full thickness of a sheet of the UD cotton. That seems to be about perfect :)

i have the exact same issue managed to clean it up a bit re wicked it wicks perfectly but now everything has a burnt and very weird taste to it and the chip does not look healthy after half a tank its all charred up again and I'm only running it at 42w and after about 2-3 hits on it the tank becomes extremely hot sent pics of it to vaping outlaws have yet to hear back from them